We took the early train to the airport in Paris, and of course our flight was delayed. We arrived at the Marrakech airport a couple hours late, greeted by Arabic writing on sand colored buildings. This was NOT Europe. :) We walked in and attempted to go through customs but first had to check in to make sure we didn't have the swine flu. When we finally made it to the arrivals area - about 2 hours late - Said and Isham were waiting for us. We got into their Range Rover and headed over to their flat where we met the people they lived with: Ahmet, Rafik, Abdo, and his brother.
We hadn't really eaten all day so I was really grateful when they showed us how to make a Tagine (traditional Moroccan food with meat and vegetables cooked over fire) almost as soon as we arrived. The boys were some great cooks. Also, they showed us how to eat "like Berbers" with just bread and our hands, all together from the same plate. All of us just sat around getting to know each other for a while in the kitchen which consisted of some small leather chairs, a sink, cabinet, and a low table to sit at.
My next shocker was the bathroom. I was somewhat prepared, but still a little surprised. It had one of those toilets that is pretty much just a porcelain hole in the ground. The shower/sink/ toilet flushing mechanism consisted of a cold water spigot and a pail. It was definitely different, but it worked.
Anyway, we continued on to the old market which was craaazy amazing. We walked in and were greeted with snake charmers, pet monkeys, street vendors, beggars, everything you can imagine. The boys helped us get a good price on henna tattoos so Megan and I each got that done. Then they took us for some delicious fresh squeezed orange juice, special Moroccan bread, sweet tea, special chocolate dessert, and a tea made from probably 50 different spices. I almost exploded. :) Anyway, the men there were real gentlemen and wouldn't let us girls pay for anything... kind of a nice change from America. Ha! Well, we finally went into the Souks and I was overwhelmed by the size. There were literally thousands and thousands of scarves, slippers, leather bags, silver jewelry - shop after shop.
We got a bit tired and decided to head home since we would be heading to the desert in the morning, but realized we didn't know where to meet in the morning. Luckily Said knew quite a bit about tourism in the city and he ran around and found our agency for us. Then, it was back to the flat, but the traffic was crazy. Two lanes of traffic held 4 or 5, cutting people off is normal, and there seemed to be no speed limit. Donkeys, horse carriages, cars, motor bikes holding entire families, cabs with 7 people in them all shared the roads as well. Anyway, they boys planned a small party for what was supposed to be our only night in Marrakech and we all ended up dancing, talking, and having lots of fun until around 2 in the morning.
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Nice introduction to Morocco eh?
It is different, but so worth it.
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